Dearest Mama,
It’s been quite a long time. How is the family? How is the Chief? How are the Chief’s lieutenants?
Mama, do you know the mail Clerk? Kindly tell the Postal Director that I am not receiving all of my mails. In fact, it was only yesterday I realized that I may somehow be on the partial mailing list? How is that possible? I don’t know. But I do know one thing; some of my mails are undelivered. For example, the mail from Dr. Gbaba, “Dr Gbaba Salutes the Manjah, Manjalin, and Massagi for their Patriotic Gestures,” is yet to reach me. The copy of the letter was forwarded to me, after waiting for the postal clerk to deliver my copy in vain. I’ve checked over the mail box, under the mail box, and the deep bottom of the mail box, but that mail didn’t reach me. I am beginning to wonder which other mails addressed to me are still travelling around the world. I just hope some of my mails do not get worn out while travelling over high mountains, deep valleys, and parched lands. To be honest, if any of my letters travel around North Africa, particularly around the Mediterranean coast and the Sahara Desert, I will assume that it will become a casualty of the fighting between loyalists of Muammar Qaddafi’s and rebel fighters. That’s because, an online Media, Bloomberg Businessweek in its latest report on the Libyan crisis said, “The present conflict is considered the deadliest conflict to emerge from popular protests across the Middle East inspired by the overthrow of longtime leaders in Tunisia and Egypt.” Eh, so if any of letters traveled within the Libyan territory, I will assume it was fired upon while flying over Libya.
So Mama, please tell the Mail Clerk to send all my letters directly, to me, and not to send them as emissaries around the continent. I beg! This conflict in North Africa makes me scratch my arms, not because I have skin rashes, but it is a way of diverting my focus from the situation. We heard of Tunisia, Egypt, and now Libya is flaring up. We know that bordering countries around Libya include Algeria, Chad, Egypt, Niger, Sudan, and Tunisia. I know after you heard of Tunisia and Egypt, you immediately started the process of elimination. Well, we have to continue the process of elimination to help us prepare for other news, if not directly within the circle, let take a step backwards from the circle to widen it, and include other territories within that area.
The whole North African situation should remind us that we are all part of a circle. If one person within the circle becomes a victim, we should not rejoice, or feel that we are an exception, because ‘we are a part of the circle.’ Remember, we are not in a triangle, where one person is at the head, it is not also a rectangle, which may go in some form of sequence. No! I said Circle. In a circle, anyone from any part of the circle could become the next victim, or the next target. So if you are a part of a circle…… (Complete the sentence)
Ok, back to the letters. Mama, did you see all the letters displayed on the Village bulletin boards. There are many bulletin boards - the bulletin boards at the waterside, the ones’ at the village square, the ones pasted on the back of the town crier, and the ones at the market house. Oh, did you see the one under the Palava hut and the car station opposite the Palm wine stop?
I have been following some of the issues, from the few letters the messenger left at my door. Since it is apparent that I have not been getting all the letters, I will only talk about the ones I have been getting. So tell the people to hold on and let me open my mouth. What I want to talk about briefly is this Union of Liberian Association in the Americas, (ULAA) squabble. I know some people are upset that I am describing the publicized confusion as a squabble. Ok, I can call it clash, or dispute, or fight. However, in my view, ULAA’s quarrel, or squabble is a shame; and it challenges us to see the implications of our (ULAA’s) actions on local communities, and communities at the national level. Most importantly, if ULAA cannot or could not contain its squabble, how can we (ULAA’s) propose suggestions, recommendations or hold the national government accountable, or speak against flaws within the national government? How can ULAA make suggestions to an organization, institution or group about the importance of collaboration for promoting performance, if it (ULAA) itself has failed to resolve its conflict outside of the public domain?
Mama, you remembered the many courses and trainings we had on conflict resolution? In all of the lectures and hands- on training and field work, we learned that conflict arises in groups because of the lack of freedom, the lack of respect for positions, and scarcity of resources. Conflict arises in groups because people tend to resist the need for interdependence, and would rather insist on holding on to being independent, while working with, and in the midst of others. Could this be some of the challenges that ULAA is experiencing, or had experienced that resulted to this opened squabble? Or could it be that the people who sought/seek power within ULAA struggled with others for positions or status within the group? Or were there some sort of rewards, like credits, and recognitions that were considered insufficient and or improperly distributed, that persuaded some decision making members to compete with each other for these rewards and recognitions? If none of the above mentioned are the problems, what then could be the problem? Is it political, religious, tribal, economic or class related?
Mama, over the years, Liberia’s political systems, whether at the national, regional, community, group, and institution’s level has been about competition and winning. As a result, winning has become more acceptable, and therefore, competition has become more prevalent than cooperation. In the process of competition, and winning, , little attention is given to the effect the process of competition and desire to win has on the organization, or the people the leadership professes to serve, or the impact of the crude exercise on the credibility of the organization or institution. So, in the case of ULAA, who wins, and who loses? The battle could be won by any one of the parties, but will that party also win the war? What does it profit the winner, who stands with the trophy, but he/she has evidently lost the war? What does it profit the person who has won the leadership position, but in the process lost the people, or a large number of members of the organization? Or, what does it profit a person who has won the position, but in the process left their reputation/credibility/competence and (leadership) characteristics/traits in the squabbles? Ehn. Tell me! What does the Good Book says about similar situations, “What does it profit a man who gains the whole world, but loses his soul?"
Mama, I wonder if you were one of the parties to this situation, what would you have done? Would you stand up, beat your chest; raise your fist to announce that you’ve won the squabble? Who determines the winner of such publicized squabble or quarrel that has apparently obstructed unification, but has won national attention, not for an award but drawn attention to what appears to be our inability to work together, and our incapacity to rise above power greed, jealousy. This conflict also shows how difficult it is for us to serve as capable leaders, or to maintain our role models.
Now Mama, please tell the people in the Village, and the people across the Atlantic Ocean, the Pacific Ocean, the Indian Ocean, and all the Oceans, and mountains that the shame I feel because of this public squabble, that prompted me to write this hasty letter is not aimed at any one party involved in this disgraceful and opened power struggle in ULAA. No, no! That is not the case. I am not interested in knowing who is right, nor who is wrong. I know that if anyone dare ask such a question, they should be ready to hear what happened from J.J Roberts' time till now. An in between the narration, we will see how almost all parties stood akimbo, resulting to one or more of the following: refusing to compromise their positions, diverting time and energy from the main issues, delaying decisions, or untimely decisions, decisions and situations that created deadlock, problems that drove unaggressive members to the sidelines, problems that caused members to drop out or resign from committees, problems that arouse anger and actions/inactions that disrupted meeting, decisions that left losers resentful, situations that provoked personal abuse, and resulted to defensiveness, and then this ugly situation.
Mama, isn’t this squabble; the ULAA’s squabble a shadow of what our national political scene has always been like? If it is not, how is ULAA’s squabble different from what we have seen at the national level? Do we need military and paramilitary groups to complete the scene? I think in some ways, there may be such groups, or such groups may be waiting along the wayside, waiting to be call in to complete or add to the drama.
Mama, all I can say is thank God MaZelepu and PaZlepu are not parts of this disgraceful situation, otherwise I would have asked them, “after winning, what do you hope to achieve? You will have lost a large number of people, you will have little or no credibility; you will always have to defend your positions, and spend more time explaining the shameful squabble than engaging in constructive work. Given the dispute surrounding such leadership, what constructive recommendations can you make to another organization, let alone a national government?”
Another question, Mama, is this the kind of contributions Liberians in the Diaspora expect to make to the reconstruction, democracy, empowerment, and the promotion for full participation of citizenry in the peace building process back home? Ah!
Mama, as I close this letter, let me remind those who find my letter unfavorable that their response(s) may be sent to North Africa, since it appears that some of my mails are lost in transit. And for those who may consider applying jungle justice, beware that my place is not only camouflage, but also fortified against all forms of non-opened and inefficient communications.
I will talk to you again Mama. Greetings and love from me and your grandchild. I am ashamed to lift my head up today.
Always,
musue
